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Rin really wasn't the type to linger in the streets of Tokyo for longer than he had to. Nothing good ever came from it, especially later in the evenings when the crowds would rush the pavement, filling each road to the brim. There was never any place to escape, shoulders pressed against other shoulders, while trying to fight through the masses of people, trying to get to where he needed to be.
Not even the alleyways were free of lingering people; everyone was trying to explore and find whatever hidden bars or restaurants might be there, advertised on some stupid travel account on Instagram.
He was out tonight, though, savoring the brief reprieve from the Blue Lock facility. Rin was someone who enjoyed being in his room, locked away, going over footage, watching movies, or having his nose stuck in whatever manga he found discounted at the store.
His body lingers in the streets for longer than he wants, leaning up against the side of a building as he waits. He could've gone home for this break, yes, or opted to stay at the facility and be able to savor training alone on one of their many pitches, but he's not. Rin isn't sure what prompted him to accept the invitation out—nor is he really sure what prompted the other person to invite him, of all people, to begin with.
Nagi Seishiro was not someone Rin often spoke to. Even after they had been thrust onto the same team. They were too different. Nagi liked to laze about with his face only a few inches from his phone while he lost himself in whatever game he was playing, and Rin preferred to stay training into the late hours of the night to surpass his own self-imposed expectations.
It wasn't like he was opposed to the invitation out, obviously, since he's here waiting with his hands shoved into the front pocket of his hoodie, trying to wait for a familiar shock of white hair amidst the crowd of locals and tourists alike. It was just unexpected.
Sudden, with the way Nagi couldn't hold eye contact with him as he had asked earlier in the week.
Rin, unfortunately, had nobody to talk about it with before he went. Everyone was either too busy planning their own meet-ups while they were awarded this time out, and why anyone would want to hang out after being locked in a building together is beyond him, but he's no better than they are at the end of the day. Here he is, also waiting to meet up with someone he's been locked up with for months now.
Christ, he's making it sound like it's prison, which, in a way, it is. Soccer prison, yeah. But semantics aren't Rin's forte, nor does he want to dwell on the probable child-safety laws that Ego violates with this entire thing.
He spots Nagi before the other boy spots him, weaving through the crowd while he looks down at his phone. Rin rolls his eyes, already unimpressed and wondering if he can sneak away unseen. Can't get off his phone to navigate crowds?
"You're late," Rin says as Nagi finally reaches him. "Thought you weren't going to show."
Nagi, much to Rin's surprise, actually shuts his phone off and slips it into his pocket. "There was a delay on the trains. Not my fault."
He rolls his eyes again. Decent excuse, yes; Rin knows the woes of the train system all too well, but still. Being late isn't a good way to make a good impression on someone for the first time hanging out. "Of course they were. Where are we going?"
"There's an arcade a few blocks away," Nagi motions to the right of them. "They put out a new horror game a few days ago."
Of course. "A horror game," Rin deadpans. "We have time off, and you want to spend it at an arcade when you're always playing on your phone anyway?"
Nagi shrugs as he shifts on his feet, and Rin almost feels bad for a moment. "Arcades are fun with people," Nagi finally says. "And I heard that you like horror stuff, so why not?"
Okay, Rin definitely feels bad now. Oddly thoughtful on Nagi's part, really. He gets to see a game that's more his speed, and Nagi won't have to sit at an arcade game alone while people move around in groups around him. It works for both of them.
They start walking toward the arcade, pushing through the crowds and making sure they don't run into anyone. Rin gets shoved into Nagi's side a few times, but the other boy doesn't pull away or mention anything about it, so Rin doesn't, either.
"I'm surprised you didn't ask Reo to come with you," Rin breaks the silence. "Aren't you two best friends or something?"
He can very briefly feel Nagi stiffen beside him, and files away the thought for later, but doesn't prod. "He's busy," Nagi says.
"So you invite me?"
"Why not?" Nagi shrugs, coming to a stop as they wait at a crosswalk for their turn to move across the street. "You don't seem like a hassle to hang out with."
"I guess I should take that as a compliment, then," Rin mutters as the light turns green, and they make their way to the other side of the street. "I haven't played video games in a while, though. You might see how painfully bad I am at them."
"It's fine. We can do multiplayer games, so your score won't be less than mine."
Rin feels something stupid happen in his chest at Nagi's words, and he shoves it down so fast he can barely dwell on it. Idiot. "Is that horror game multiplayer?"
"I think so," Nagi says as they turn, pushing the door to the arcade open and stepping inside. "We'll just check it when we get to it. If not, you'll have to try and be good at it on your own."
Rin nods, his eyes squinting as the flashes of neon lights and the game screens burn in his eyes. He isn't used to this, the environment is a little overstimulating with the noise level and the different colors assaulting his senses, but he finds himself getting used to it as they move towards the back of the building to get their game cards.
"A lot bigger than I expected," Rin says as he looks around. Nagi fiddles with the machine, selecting the two-card option and loading enough credits on both to get them through the night. "I could've paid for mine."
Nagi waves him off. "I have enough. It's fine."
Rin doesn't push the issue. If Nagi wants to waste money on buying both game cards, then more power to him; he's not going to complain. A little unexpected, really; Rin is always ready to pay for himself on the off chance he's out with someone. Nagi didn't even offer; he just did it without a second thought.
"Which game first?" Rin asks after Nagi's finished up and hands him one of the cards. "Should we do the horror one first?"
"No," Nagi shakes his head. "We find the ones that pay out the most tickets first so we can get prizes at the end."
"Prizes?" Rin scoffs. "What are we, twelve?"
"They have candy and snacks that can be redeemed, too," Nagi says as he leads the way through the arcade and over to their first machine. "Doesn't have to be an actual prize if you don't want it to be."
"Candy and snacks," Rin echoes, a little unamused with the idea of redeeming anything for something he could pick up at the local konbini. "I guess."
Nagi doesn't say anything else as Rin follows, content with letting him take the lead because he's really out of his wheelhouse when it comes to all of the machines that are surrounding them both. He almost walks right into Nagi's back when the other boy stops without saying anything, but he catches himself before he looks like an idiot.
"This one is self-explanatory," Nagi says. "You push the button, and the wheel spins for a little while before it lands on one of the options. Each one gives tickets, but we want it to land on the one that has the most."
Rin blinks as Nagi explains what is probably the easiest game in this building. He doesn't think he's seen him talk this much in the time they've known each other—not that they talk much to begin with—but still. From what Rin's encountered when around Nagi, the boy is truly someone of few words.
Maybe that's why he can tolerate him so much.
"Okay," Rin says. "Do you want me to go first?"
Nagi nods, and Rin swipes his card through the reader on the bottom of the machine. It lights up almost immediately, casting them in a sheen of blue and red, and Rin has to tear his gaze away from Nagi as he feels it travel over how it reflects on shaggy white hair and eyes that are a lot like honey, now that Rin can see them up close.
Rin presses the button without a second thought. The machine groans before the wheel begins to spin, and he looks at it unimpressed as it speeds through the options. He doesn't care where it lands, whether it be the grand prize or one of the multiple options that say five tickets, but he does think it's a little bullshit that the highest payout is the smallest mark on the wheel.
"Sometimes it takes a while," Nagi says, and Rin catches him shifting on his feet from the corner of his eye. "Maybe we should've done this one last."
"It's fine," Rin shrugs. The wheel eventually slows, and the arrow that catches on each little peg of the wheel starts to clack before it finally groans to a stop. He flinches as the lights start flashing, shielding his eyes as the machine emits a robotic grand-prize-awarded tone. "Huh."
He swears he sees Nagi smile, but it's gone as quickly as it appeared as Rin turns to face him. "We'll call that beginner's luck," Nagi says before stepping forward for his own turn at it. "Or maybe the machine just wanted to be nice today."
"You sound jealous." Rin watches Nagi press the button as well, and the machine whirs to life once more. "Maybe you'll win, too."
Nagi shakes his head, and Rin feels his eyes roll before he can stop them. "I think they program arcade games to only let one or two people win the big ticket prizes each night. I've never been lucky enough to hit one."
The machine flashes again right as Nagi finishes his sentence. Rin actually lets himself huff out a laugh, a short, almost choked-off thing as he watches the other boy gawk as it shows he won big. "Guess it decided to be nice again."
"Apparently," Nagi mumbles as he slips his game card back into his pocket, but Rin can see the shine of excitement in his eyes despite how faint it is. "You can pick the next game."
Rin nods as he looks around, unsure of where to start first. There's a section dedicated to dancing games, which he would rather die than ever go near, and he's sure Nagi would feel the same about them. "Over there?" He points to a row of shooter games, and he doesn't fight the grin curling on his lips this time as he sees Nagi light up at the suggestion.
They make their way over to the shooter games, and Nagi doesn't even hesitate to swipe his card and pick up one of the plastic rifles attached to the machine. Rin does the same and glances over at him as Nagi speaks again.
"We can either play against each other or do multiplayer."
"We can play against each other," Rin offers, because he really is not good at these types of games and doesn't want to hold him back. "You probably won't even have to try to kill me. It'll be an easy win for you."
"We'll do both," Nagi eventually says as the game starts. Rin nods, holding the plastic weapon up the same way Nagi does, and waits for the opening scenes of the game to finish before he has to figure out what the hell he's doing. The instructions seem simple enough. Opposite teams, five-minute rounds, where they try to kill as many opponents as possible.
Rin scowls as the game starts, and he's already thrust into the midst of computer-generated opponents shooting at him from all sides. He tries his best to get his footing in the game, ends up shooting one or two as his character scrambles around, but it doesn't take long for his character to get knocked down and have to wait for it to regenerate.
Nagi seems to be having no issues, though. Of course. Rin watches from the corner of his eye as the other boy seamlessly demolishes any bot on Rin's team the second he sees them. Part of Rin wants to be pissed, really, to call him a show-off, or give up playing any games like this for the remainder of their time in the arcade, but he's finding it increasingly difficult to do so.
He tears his gaze away quickly when Nagi's tongue sticks out a little bit in concentration. Rin returns his attention to his own game, narrowing his eyes as his character moves and aims at any other character that crosses his path.
Nagi's character hasn't shown up yet, and Rin is dead set on finding it and killing him before Nagi can do that to him. He knows they have a designated badge on their characters; being the only two controlled by humans, they each have a little blue patch on their sleeves. He shoots a few more bots and finally spots Nagi's character waiting.
"Have you been sitting back here waiting for me to find you this entire time?"
"Yes," Nagi says without tearing his gaze from the screen. "Was wondering if you'd find me before the end of the match or not."
Rin huffs and fiddles with the fake weapon as Nagi's character draws closer. "We have thirty seconds left," he says. "Are you gonna try to shoot first?"
"You first," Nagi says, shrugging.
He doesn't hesitate after that, his finger pulling the trigger. He watches the screen with a lot more attention than he should really be giving such a stupid game, but Rin really can't help it. A curse slips from his lips as his character misses, and his screen turns red after Nagi makes quick work of him.
"Asshole. You knew I'd miss."
Nagi sets the plastic gun back into the machine's holder. "I could tell you were aiming too high for where my character was positioned, as opposed to yours."
"So you let me do it anyway," Rin scowls. "That is not cool."
He swears he sees the faintest glimpse of a smirk on Nagi's face before his expression settles back to the usual unimpressed one that he wears. "I'm not going to try to lose, so. I was not going to tell you and give it away."
"Do you wanna try again?" Nagi offers. "Maybe you'll do better if we try again."
"If you let me leave myself wide open again just to kill me, I'm leaving," Rin huffs, but slips his game card back out to swipe it so they can start another round. "I'm not good at games like this."
"I noticed."
The two of them fall into silence again as the game starts back up, and Rin keeps rapt attention on the screen as his character navigates the chosen map. It's a little easier to kill the characters on the enemy team this time around—now that he has some faint idea of when to shoot versus leaving it alone to target something else. It doesn't stop him from getting killed a few times in the process, though, but he lets it go.
He can see Nagi's character facing the opposite direction from his after he shoots down another bot. Rin says nothing, just briefly tightens his grip on the plastic gun as his character makes its way over. He doesn't even hesitate, really, narrowing his eyes as he squeezes the trigger and watches Nagi's character fall to the ground before fading away.
A grin tugs at his lips before he can stop it.
"Good job," Nagi says as he sets the gun down. "Sneaking up on me like that is exactly the way that should've gone."
"I was waiting for you to turn around at any point." Rin follows Nagi as the other boy leads them away from the shooter game and towards the horror game that he had been talking about. It's a bit secluded in the corner, but Rin doesn't even care. That's probably the best place to put a horror game to begin with. Far enough from everything else so the game's spooky atmosphere is more immersive, and so younger people in the arcade won't be able to reach it easily. "Is this one multiplayer?"
Nagi swipes his card and presses a few buttons on the machine. "It is. Each of us has our own set of buttons and a controller. Come here."
Rin moves to stand next to Nagi, their shoulders pressed together because the machine is so small. He ignores the heat of Nagi's body seeping into his skin, the slight shiver the contact sends through his spine as the other boy shifts closer, clearly not minding the lack of space too much. "Do you get scared easily?"
"No," Nagi shrugs as the game starts, and their characters are thrust into a dilapidated-looking house. "Not usually, anyway. Though I don't play horror games too much. Do you?"
Rin scoffs as he navigates his character through the halls, the floorboards creaking under the heavy feet of his character, the sounds echoing from the machine's speakers. "I do not."
Nagi nods, and Rin quickly finds himself lost in the game. It's not as scary as some of the games or movies Rin has distracted himself with before, but it's still good. Gives enough of a creepy feel to make his skin rise with goosebumps, but there's nothing that'll pop out and scare either of them. Though, admittedly, he does wish it were a little bit scarier. Just to see if Nagi was telling the truth or not when he said he rarely gets scared by anything horror-related.
The entire premise of the game is exploring this haunted house, and Rin is embarrassingly invested. Each movement of his character is met with a creak or a groan, and he's finding it more enjoyable than he thought he would. Nagi's character trails after him, and Rin bites back a quip about him being too scared to move through the rooms first.
He feels the other boy flinch against him as their characters stumble into a room filled with mannequins, and Rin smirks. "You're afraid of mannequins?"
"Shut up," Nagi huffs as they continue to move through the room. "They're weird."
One of the mannequins jumps at their characters as soon as Nagi says that, and Rin feels the other boy jolt before he looks away from the screen. Rin laughs, not even caring that he gets a glare at it.
"They're not even scary," he says as they finally leave the room and manage to get out of the house. The game ends after that, rolling through the credits before returning to the beginning screen, where they can start the game again.
"They look like real-life people," Nagi argues weakly as they move away from the machine to find something else to do. "Haven't you seen the movie?"
"Of course I have. That still doesn't make them scary."
Nagi huffs, and they find themselves wandering to the other side of the arcade. There's a bright pink neon sign attached to the wall, pointing to another entrance when they look up. "Laser tag?"
They only spare each other a single glance before forcing their way into the entrance. A handful of people are getting suited up with the help of an employee, and Nagi and Rin quickly scan their game cards before grabbing vests as well. "Is this a team-based thing, or every man for themselves?" Nagi asks when he puts on his vest.
Rin glances over the rules before looking back at him. "Team-based, it seems."
Nagi nods. The employee begins going over the rules, the basic no running, no jumping, no shoving others, bullshit that really should be self-explanatory, but with the way the other people in the room are either nodding along or rolling their eyes, Rin thinks that there are probably stupidly easy rules for a reason.
Everyone's vests come to life as the employee opens the door to the laser tag area, and luckily, Rin and Nagi are on the same team. They file in, moving through the course to find a hiding place before the game officially starts.
"Anything red that moves, shoot it," Rin says as they hunker down behind a wall. "No hesitation. We have to win."
"On it," Nagi nods as he adjusts his vest. "Do we split up, or stay together?"
Rin peeks up over the wall for a brief second before the lights shut off, signaling the start of the match. "Split up for now. Meet back here in five minutes."
He watches as Nagi slips away once the lights are fully dimmed, a retreating figure amidst the glow of the walls and other vests worn by their laser tag teammates. Rin waits a few seconds before he heads in the opposite direction. His eyes squint as he tries to find those on the other team, the neon flashing off the walls making him wince, but it'll be fine.
His vest buzzes, and he curses under his breath as he whirls around and shoots at the person who had gotten to him first. Rin smirks as the other person scowls and stomps his foot, probably no older than ten, before the kid scampers away to find another victim. Fucking kids.
Thankfully, laser tag proves much easier than the shooter game Nagi had made him play earlier, and Rin finds the score counter on his gun higher than expected. He's gotten fifteen people out in the time he and Nagi had been apart, and some sliver of satisfaction swirls in his gut as he begins to walk back slowly toward his and Nagi's meeting point.
The lights have dimmed even more now that the round is coming to an end, and Rin huffs as he weaves blindly through the maze of walls and hiding spots as he tries to remember exactly which wall they hid behind when they first got in.
He crashes into a body as he turns a corner, someone probably faring as badly as he is, and they tumble to the floor in a heap of bone and plastic laser guns. "What the hell," Rin huffs as he shifts to pull away.
"Guess we found each other." Nagi's voice rings through Rin's ears from below him, and he finds himself relaxing just slightly. At least he didn't fall on top of a complete stranger.
"I can't see shit in here now," Rin complains as he rolls off of Nagi and sits up. "They should've kept all the neon bullshit lit up. At least then I could see where I was going, even if it hurt my eyes."
"I think the point is to make people run into stuff," Nagi says. Rin watches him sit up as well, but the other boy doesn't pull too far away. Their shoulders are still smushed together. He can't bring himself to hate the contact, even though he should. "How many people did you end up getting?"
Rin tilts the gun to show Nagi his stats. "Fifteen. Only got shot three times. What about you?"
"I got twenty," Nagi says, and Rin swears he sees a spark of mischief in the other's eyes. "But I did end up getting shot seven times. I'm too big to hide behind these things."
"Seven times isn't bad," Rin shrugs. "Especially compared to how many people you ended up getting."
Nagi hums quietly in response, and Rin finds himself enjoying it. A bit ridiculous, really, with how they're hiding behind some cheaply built wall in a laser tag area, but he's comfortable. There's no pretense to keep a conversation going, no need to try to be someone else.
The lights slowly come back on, and Rin finds himself irritated that the small moment of peace is coming to an end. Nagi rises to his feet and holds out a hand to help Rin up from the floor. He scowls, but takes it anyway—because, admittedly, while Rin prides himself on his physical prowess, getting up off a shitty carpeted floor that's probably as old as they are is a little more difficult than he'd figure.
Rin doesn't even notice that Nagi doesn't let go of his hand until they have to take the vests off and hang them back on the hook. Nor does he notice—read, say anything— as Nagi grabs his hand once again, once they finish up and head to the rewards counter to cash in their tickets.
"What are you gonna get?" Nagi asks as they look over all the prizes. Rin shrugs, staring at the various plushies and small trinkets they have, unimpressed with them all.
"Probably nothing," he says. "Take my card and pool the tickets so you can get something that isn't total shit."
Nagi wordlessly takes Rin's game card and resumes looking. Rin busies himself with people-watching in the meantime. People their age, in large groups, laughing as they move along to a dancing game. Kids running wild through the rows of machines with disgruntled parents chasing after them.
It's funny. Relaxing, almost, given how long they've been locked in the Blue Lock facility. Rin finds himself not wanting to go back in a few days; original plan to be there be damned. Being out with Nagi, of all people, is far too enjoyable, and the thought of them not talking to each other once they get back makes his stomach churn.
Rin doesn't know why, and doesn't want to dwell on it.
Nagi tugs on his shirt after a few minutes. "You ready to go?"
"Yeah," Rin says, finally turning back to face him. "What did you end up getting?"
Nagi, once again, grabs Rin's hand and leads him through the arcade toward the entrance. Rin doesn't argue against it, really doesn't want to, as he feels the warmth from Nagi's palm seeping into his own.
They head outside, and Nagi tugs Rin a few paces away from the entrance. Rin has to hold back a huff at the clear mark of feigned privacy, and the lack of an answer about whatever stupid prize he had ended up wasting all of their tickets on.
"So?" Rin speaks again. "What did you spend our tickets on?"
Nagi pulls two matching keychains from behind his back and dangles them in Rin's face. "These."
Rin squints, leaning closer to get a better look at them. An owl and a bunny. Okay, they are kind of cute, for something that is probably meant for children to get from the ticket counter and then lose after a week. "What are you going to do with two keychains?"
"You take one." Nagi holds out the bunny one, and Rin sees the way the tips of his ears are flushed red as he refuses to make eye contact. "And I'll have the other one."
He reaches out and grabs the keychain, brushing his thumb against the bunny with a soft hum. It's soft, the first thing he notices as he glances down at it. Cute, too, up close and in his palm. Looks a little like Nagi, which would've absolutely made Rin laugh if his own cheeks weren't flaring crimson as well.
"Uh," he mumbles, fishing out his keys and hooking the keychain into place, finding it so easy to enjoy the added weight despite the questions he's sure it'll bring up when they inevitably have to go back home. Rin already knows his parents will have something to say. "Thanks."
Nagi nods, shifts on his feet, and finally meets Rin's gaze. "I had fun," he says. Rin nods as well, swallowing thickly before Nagi speaks again. "I was afraid you wouldn't want to come."
"I almost didn't," Rin admits. "But I guess I'm glad I did."
More silence, and Nagi glances around before taking Rin's hand again. Rin doesn't fight him on it. "It's not too late," Nagi says, and Rin doesn't miss the faint glimmer of hope in the other boy's voice. "Want to go get some dinner? Or we can find a field and a ball and play some soccer?"
"Yeah," Rin says far too quickly. It's cute, though, admittedly, as he watches Nagi's eyes light up. "We can do both."
Nagi doesn't say anything else as he begins to lead Rin away from the arcade. Rin lets the silence linger, lets the weight of Nagi's hand in his own relax him as they head off in search of food and a pitch, and Rin definitely doesn't know if they'll find a random soccer ball to play with—but he's more than willing to stop at a sports store and buy one so their night doesn't end any earlier than they want it to.
It brings more peace to Rin than he would've thought. It's fun being with Nagi. Even when they're quiet, or he's getting his ass kicked at some shitty shooter game in a random arcade. It makes his chest ache with an unfamiliar tightness, but he welcomes it.
Rin thinks he'll welcome anything Nagi gives.